Re: iTunes 4 and music store

They are not MP3, they are a new format called AAC. It is suppose to be better quality at lower bit rates. It is still not as good as an uncompressed AIFF file or a CD, but it's not bad. I really like the Apple Music Store and I hope they keep improving it. Here is some infor from Apple.

"AAC-encoded files sound as good as or better than MP3 files encoded at the same or even a higher bit rate.

For example, a 128-kilobit-per-second (kbit/s) AAC file should sound as good as or better than a 160 kbit/s MP3 file. Because the bit rate is lower, the AAC file will also be smaller than the MP3 file. AAC files allow you to store the most music on your hard disk or iPod. The High Quality AAC setting creates files that are usually less than 1 MB for each minute of music.

Note: AAC files encoded from a source other than the iTunes Music Store (such as an audio CD) work the same as an MP3 file encoded from the same source. No authorization required to play or burn them. So, AAC files you encode yourself in iTunes 4 can be burned more than ten times per playlist and can be played on more than three computers."


Tony!